Cargo of various types is transported by a variety of means, including trailers, such as flat bed trailers, which are designed to transport various loads positioned on the trailer bed along its length, or at discrete locations thereon. Other vehicles, such as airplanes or trains, are also used to transport cargo. In many cases, the loads carried by such trailers or other vehicles may be bulky and irregular in shape and/or weight distribution, adversely effecting stability of the load on the trailer. In order to safely transport cargo in such environments, the cargo must be secured against any movement or shifting, and cargo control systems have been developed for this purpose. Such cargo control systems have included retaining straps fixed on one side of a trailer bed and having retaining hooks on a free end which are secured to the other side of the trailer bed over a portion of a load positioned on the trailer bed. The retaining straps may include a ratchet type assembly positioned along its length for tightening down of the strap onto a load. The strap may also be anchored at its one end via a winch assembly for tightening of the strap. Over center buckles are also commonly employed with tensioning straps for cargo tie-down systems to secure cargo on a trailer bed or floor. In the past, the tie down straps may have been situated at discrete intervals along the length of the trailer bed, but were fixed in position, and thus presented problems with properly securing certain loads, depending upon the shape and size of the cargo. More recently, the cargo retaining straps are adjustably positioned by means of movable winches mounted upon elongated tracks fixed to a vehicle bed, floor or vehicle wall. The winches are movable, allowing the tension forces within the cargo-retaining strap to be substantially perpendicular to the axis of the winch track. Different vehicle mounted tracks for use with load bearing winches have been developed, and include a double L track design as well as a C track design as examples.
Although adjustable winch position facilitates properly tightening cargo retaining straps about a load positioned on a vehicle or like, various problems continue to exist with respect to cargo tie down systems. As in the case of flat bed trailers, the typical method to secure freight or cargo on a flatbed trailer would require moving the cargo tie down strap winch to a desired location, and unrolling the cargo tie down strap, such as a dacron web, against the cargo positioned on the deck of the flatbed trailer. The web is first placed over the cargo with enough extra length to ensure properly engaging the opposing side of the trailer. If the web includes a hook, the hook is temporarily engaged upon a portion of the trailer on the opposing side of the cargo, and then the user must return back to the winch for tightening of the web to a required tension to secure the freight. Typically, a winch bar may be used in the winch to gain leverage needed to tension the web. In many instances, if the retaining strap includes a hook, the hook will not remain in engagement with the trailer due to its loosened condition, such that upon tightening, the strap is not properly engaged to the opposing side of the trailer over the cargo. As a large number of cargo retaining straps may be used, the inability to effectively secure the distal end of the strap to the trailer in a desired manner over a cargo becomes a significant problem. Further, hooks that are sometimes provided on cargo retaining straps may not provide proper coupling to a portion of the vehicle in a desired manner to properly secure cargo. As an example, hooks typically provided on retaining straps include flat hooks, grab hooks and chain anchors wherein a length of chain is terminated with a grab hook, or a loop or ring is provided as a coupling member associated with the strap. The hook type coupling members are generally susceptible to movement in association with a portion of the vehicle to which they are attached, presenting the possibility of untensioning of the strap which could allow shifting or movement of the cargo. Other types of coupling members or arrangements typically require the user to physically tie or secure the end of the strap to a portion of the vehicle, increasing the labor involved in properly securing a load.
Based upon the foregoing, it would be advantageous to provide a tie down hanger system for cargo handling systems which allow positive retention of a tie-down restraining strap in a manner to facilitate properly securing a load. It would further be advantageous to provide a tie down straphanger system for securing tie down straps at an adjustable position depending upon the nature and position of cargo. It would also be desirable to provide a tie down coupling system, which works in conjunction with adjustable winch and track combinations, and to provide a tie down strap coupling system, which eliminates the possible untensioning of the tie down strap.